Connector device
A disclosed plug connector is configured to be plugged into and connected to a receiving connector. The plug connector includes plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction, and a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector device, and more particularly to a connector device including a receiving connector and a plug connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in connector devices including a receiving connector and a plug connector, signal contacts are horizontally aligned in a straight line. There are also connector devices including a receiving connector and a plug connector that have a cylindrical overall shape. In such cylindrical connector devices, signal contacts are arranged in a circumferential direction.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H11-67372
However, conventional cylindrical connector devices do not sufficiently address the problems of electromagnetic noise from the outside or crosstalk occurring in a single connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a connector device in which one or more of the above-described disadvantages are eliminated.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a plug connector configured to be plugged into and connected to a receiving connector, the plug connector including plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction; and a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a plug connector configured to be plugged into and connected to a receiving connector, the plug connector including plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction; and a cylindrical ground unit arranged on an inner peripheral side of the signal contact members.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector includes plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction and a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members, the receiving connector including plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector; and plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector includes plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction, one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members, and a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members and the ground contact members, the receiving connector including plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector; and plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit and the ground contact members of the plug connector.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector includes plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction and a cylindrical ground unit arranged on an inner peripheral side of the signal contact members, the receiving connector including plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector; and plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector includes plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction, one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members, and a cylindrical ground unit arranged on an inner peripheral side of the signal contact members and the ground contact members, the receiving connector including plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector; and plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit and the ground contact members of the plug connector.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a connector device is highly resistant to electromagnetic noise from the outside.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
A description is given, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of an embodiment of the present invention.
[Structure of Plug Connector 30]
The plug connector 30 is formed by rolling (curving) a sheet member 40 shown in
By curving the sheet member 40 into a cylindrical shape in the above manner, a cylindrical insulating unit 31 is formed with the sheet main body 41 as shown in
A main unit of the plug connector 30 is denoted by 33.
For example, the plug connector 30 is provided in such a manner that in the main unit 33, each signal contact pattern is connected with a corresponding pair wire at the edge of a cable (not shown) including plural pair wires.
The plug connector can be manufactured by a method other than that described above. For example, signal contact conductor wires acting as the signal contact members and a cylindrical ground member acting as the ground unit can be built in a resin-molded cylindrical insulator. In this case, the plug connector would have the signal contact conductor wires arranged in a circumferential direction instead of the first and second signal contact patterns 45, 46. Moreover, the plug connector would have the cylindrical ground member made by press-molding a metal sheet acting as the ground unit instead of the cylindrical ground pattern 32, which cylindrical ground member would be arranged along the inner periphery of the cylindrical insulator.
[Structure of Receiving Connector 20]
As shown in
The insulator block 21 is substantially cylindrical, has a through hole 21a in its center, and has a toroidal space 22 into which the plug connector 30 is inserted, which space 22 is recessed from the surface of the insulator block 21 on the X2 side.
The group of contact pieces 23-1 includes a first signal contact piece 25, a second signal contact piece 26, and ground contact pieces 27, 28. The first signal contact piece 25 is provided in such a manner as to face the first signal contact pattern 45, and to be closer to the center than the space 22, with a part thereof protruding into the space 22. The second signal contact piece 26 is provided in such a manner as to face the second signal contact pattern 46, closer to the center than the space 22, with a part thereof protruding into the space 22. The ground contact pieces 27, 28 are provided closer to the outer periphery than the space 22, respectively facing the first and second signal contact patterns 45, 46, with parts thereof protruding into the space 22. As described below, the first signal contact piece 25 and the ground contact piece 27 sandwich a portion of the plug connector 30; the second signal contact piece 26 and the ground contact piece 28 sandwich another portion of the plug connector 30. The first signal contact piece 25 and the ground contact piece 27 are aligned on a plane passing through an axial line 21CL of the insulator block 21 and the second signal contact piece 26 and the ground contact piece 28 are aligned on another plane passing through the center of the insulator block 21, which pieces are arranged in a radial manner. The first signal contact piece 25, the second signal contact piece 26, and the ground contact pieces 27, 28 have leg parts 25a, 26a, 27a, and 28a that protrude above the surface of the insulator block 21 on the X1 side.
The other groups of contact pieces 23-2 and 23-3 have the same structure as the group of contact pieces 23-1.
The ground member 29 is cylindrical, and is provided closer to the center than the toroidal space 22 and closer to the center than the first and second signal contact pieces 25, 26 of the groups of contact pieces 23-1 through 23-3. A leading edge 29b of the ground member 29 is located further in the X2 direction than the leading edges of the first and second signal contact pieces 25, 26. The ground member 29 has a leg part 29a.
In the above-described receiving connector 20, the leg parts 25a through 29a are mounted on a pad of a printed-circuit board inside the device by soldering. The ground contact pieces 27, 28 and the ground member 29 have ground potential.
[Connected Status of Plug Connector 30 in Receiving Connector 20]
As shown in
The other pairs of signal contact patterns are also connected to the other contact pieces in the same manner as described above.
Accordingly, as shown in
As shown in
The receiving connector 20A has a slightly different configuration to that of the receiving connector 20 described above. That is, contact members for ground (hereinafter, “ground contact member”) 50 are additionally provided between the groups of contact pieces adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, i.e., between the group of contact pieces 23-1 and the group of contact pieces 23-2, between the group of contact pieces 23-2 and the group of contact pieces 23-3, and between the group of contact pieces 23-3 and the group of contact pieces 23-1.
As shown in
In a status where the plug connector 30 is connected to the receiving connector 20A, as shown in
The plug connector 30B is different from the plug connector 30 shown in
When the plug connector 30B is connected to the receiving connector 20A, as shown in
The pairs of signals adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are shielded from each other by the additionally provided ground contact patterns 43, the cylindrical shielding ground member 29, and the ground contact member 50. Accordingly, in the connector device 10B, interference, i.e., crosstalk is even further prevented from occurring between signals adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, compared to the connector device 10A.
Fourth EmbodimentThe connector device 10C includes the plug connector 30 shown in
The plug connector 30 has the same configuration as the plug connector 30 in the connector device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The receiving connector 20C has a slightly different configuration from the receiving connector 20 of the connector device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, i.e., the ground member 29 is not included.
As shown in
The portions where the signal contact patterns and the signal contact pieces contact each other are shielded by the ground pattern 32 and thus have the same shielded structure as that of a coaxial cable. For this reason, electromagnetic noise from the outside is blocked by the cylindrical ground pattern 32 so as not to reach portions where signals are being transmitted. Consequently, the connector device 10C is highly resistant to electromagnetic noise from the outside.
Fifth EmbodimentThe receiving connector 20D has a slightly different configuration from the receiving connector 20A shown in
When the plug connector 30 is connected to the receiving connector 20C, as shown in
When the plug connector 30B is connected to the receiving connector 20D, the ground contact patterns 43 are in contact with the inner contact piece 50b and the cylindrical ground pattern 32 is in contact with the outer contact piece 50a. Furthermore, the pairs of signals adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are shielded by the ground contact patterns 43 as well as the ground contact member 50. Accordingly, in the connector device 10E, interference is even further prevented from occurring between signals adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, compared to the connector device 10D.
Seventh Embodiment[Structure of Plug Connector 30F]
The plug connector 30F is formed by curving the sheet member 40 shown in
By curving the sheet member 40 into a cylindrical shape in the above manner, the cylindrical insulating unit 31 is formed as shown in
[Structure of Receiving Connector 20F]
As shown in
The insulator block 21 is substantially cylindrical, and has the toroidal space 22 into which the plug connector 30 is inserted.
Each of the groups of contact pieces 23F-1 through 23F-3 includes the first signal contact piece 25, the second signal contact piece 26, and the ground contact pieces 27, 28. The first and second signal contact pieces 25, 26 face the first and second signal contact patterns 45, 46, respectively, and are provided closer to the outer periphery than the space 22, partially protruding into the space 22.
In the above-described receiving connector 20F, the leg parts 25a through 29a are mounted on a pad of a printed-circuit board inside the device by soldering. The ground contact pieces 27, 28 have ground potential.
[Connected Status of Plug Connector 30F in Receiving Connector 20F]
As shown in
The other pairs of signal contact patterns are also connected to the other contact pieces in the same manner as described above.
Accordingly, portions where the pairs of signal contact patterns are connected to the contact pieces are arranged along the outer periphery of the cylindrical ground pattern 32 that has ground potential. The cylindrical ground pattern 32 has a curved shape that is configured to shield the adjacent pairs of signals from each other. Thus, in the connector device 10F, interference is prevented from occurring between pairs of signals adjacent to each other.
The cylindrical ground member 29 shown in
The receiving connector 20G has a slightly different configuration from the receiving connector 20F. That is, ground contact members 50G are additionally provided between the group of contact pieces 23F-1 and the group of contact pieces 23F-2, between the group of contact pieces 23F-2 and the group of contact pieces 23F-3, and between the group of contact pieces 23F-3 and the group of contact pieces 23F-1.
As shown in
The inner contact piece 50Gb is arranged closer to the inner periphery than the toroidal space 22, and contacts the inserted cylindrical ground pattern 32. The leg part 50Gc is mounted on a pad of a printed-circuit board by soldering. The ground contact member 50G has ground potential.
In a status where the plug connector 30F is connected to the receiving connector 20G, as shown in
The connector device 10H is manufactured by curving the sheet member 40B shown in
When the plug connector 30H is connected to the receiving connector 20G, as shown in
Furthermore, the pairs of signals adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are shielded from each other by the ground contact pattern 43, the cylindrical shielding ground member 29, and the ground contact members 50G. Accordingly, in the connector device 10H, interference is even further prevented from occurring between signals adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, compared to the connector device 10G.
Tenth Embodiment[Modification]
In the plug connectors 30 and the receiving connectors 20 according to the above-described embodiments, the signal contact patterns and the signal contact pieces need not be provided as pairs in each signal transmission path—they can be provided individually. A connector with such a configuration can be applied to a regular transmission method. This type of connector has the same effects as those of the connector device 10 applied to a balanced transmission method.
The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiment, and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The present application is based on Japanese Priority Patent Application No. 2007-088779, filed on Mar. 29, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Claims
1. A plug connector configured to be plugged into and connected to a receiving connector, the plug connector comprising:
- plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction; and
- a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members;
- further comprising:
- a sheet member with insulative properties, wherein:
- a sheet-like pattern acting as the cylindrical ground unit substantially entirely covers one side of the sheet member;
- a liner pattern acting as the signal contact members is formed on another side of the sheet member; and
- the sheet member is rolled in such a manner as to form a cylindrical shape.
2. A plug connector configured to be plugged into and connected to a receiving connector, the plug connector comprising:
- plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction; and
- a cylindrical ground unit arranged on an inner peripheral side of the signal contact members;
- further comprising:
- a sheet member with insulative properties, wherein:
- a sheet-like pattern acting as the cylindrical ground unit substantially entirely covers one side of the sheet member:
- a linear pattern acting as the signal contact members is formed on another side of the sheet member; and the sheet member is rolled in such a manner as to form a cylindrical shape.
3. The plug connector according to claim 1, further comprising:
- one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members.
4. The plug connector according to claim 1, wherein:
- the signal contact members are arranged in pairs in such a manner that balanced transmission can be performed.
5. A plug connector comprising a plurality of the plug connectors according to claim 1 provided in a single integral unit.
6. (canceled)
7. The plug connector according to claim 3, further comprising:
- a sheet member with insulative properties, wherein:
- a sheet-like pattern acting as the cylindrical ground unit substantially entirely covers one side of the sheet member;
- a linear pattern acting as the signal contact members and the ground contact members is formed on another side of the sheet member; and
- the sheet member is rolled in such a manner as to form a cylindrical shape.
8. A receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector comprises plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction and a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector; and
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector;
- wherin;
- the signal contact pieces are arranged in pairs in such a manner that balanced transmission can be performed.
9. The receiving connector according to claim 8, further comprising:
- ground contact shielding pieces each arranged in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector and to shield adjacent said signal contact members from each other.
10. A receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector comprises plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction, one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members, and a cylindrical ground unit surrounding an outer peripheral side of the signal contact members and the ground contact members, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector; and
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit and the ground contact members of the plug connector.
11. A receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector comprises plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction and a cylindrical ground unit arranged on an inner peripheral side of the signal contact members, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector; and
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector.
12. The receiving connector according to claim 11, further comprising:
- ground contact shielding pieces each arranged in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector and to shield adjacent said signal contact members from each other.
13. A receiving connector into which a plug connector is plugged, wherein the plug connector comprises plural signal contact members arranged along a circumferential direction, one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members, and a cylindrical ground unit arranged on an inner peripheral side of the signal contact members and the ground contact members, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector; and
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit and the ground contact members of the plug connector.
14. (canceled)
15. The receiving connector according to claim 8, further comprising:
- a cylindrical shield member arranged on a center side.
16. A receiving connector comprising a plurality of the receiving connectors according to claim 8 provided in a single integral unit.
17. A connector device comprising:
- the plug connector according to claim 1; and
- the receiving connector into which the plug connector is plugged, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector; and
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector.
18. A connector device comprising:
- the plug connector according to claim 2; and
- the receiving connector into which the plug connector is plugged, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit of the plug connector; and
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector.
19. A connector device comprising:
- the plug connector according to claim 1, further comprising one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members, wherein the cylindrical ground unit surrounds the outer peripheral side of the signal contact members and the ground contact members; and
- the receiving connector into which the plug connector is plugged, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector; and
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit and the ground contact members of the plug connector.
20. A connector device comprising:
- the plug connector according to claim 2,
- further comprising one or more ground contact members each arranged between adjacent said signal contact members, wherein the cylindrical ground unit surrounds the inner peripheral side of the signal contact members and the ground contact members; and
- the receiving connector into which the plug connector is plugged, the receiving connector comprising:
- plural signal contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the signal contact members of the plug connector; and
- plural ground contact pieces arranged along the circumferential direction in such a manner as to contact the cylindrical ground unit and the ground contact members of the plug connector.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 20, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 2, 2008
Patent Grant number: 7458853
Applicant: Fujitsu Component Limited (Tokyo)
Inventors: Kimihiko Omura (Shinagawa), Tadashi Kumamoto (Shinagawa), Hideo Miyazawa (Shinagawa)
Application Number: 11/892,138
International Classification: H01R 13/648 (20060101);